Sleeping PigeonSave PDF
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
eh-kuh PAH-dah RAH-jah-kahp-oh-TAH-sah-nah
Opens hips and groins
Stimulates abdominal organs
Relieves stress and deep-seated negative emotions
How to perform Sleeping Pigeon
- Begin in Downward Facing Dog. With an exhale place your left knee on the floor in between your hands, left ankle behind right wrist.
- Lower your right knee to the floor, scooting your leg back so that both hips are near the floor. Untuck the back toes. Check that your back leg is extended straight behind you. Rise onto your fingertips and lengthen your spine. Stay here for a few breaths.
- Slowly walk your hands forward with an exhale and rest your forehead on the floor.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Tuck your back toes under and carefully push yourself back to Downward Facing Dog with an exhale. Change sides.
Alignment cues
- Square hips
- Scissor legs toward one another
- Extend back leg directly behind body
- Breathe deeply into hips
Modification: Keep your torso lifted. Draw your front heel close to your body to lessen the stretch.
Avoid this pose if you have knee or sacroiliac injury.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
More yoga poses to discover
Sleeping Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana in Sanskrit) is an intermediate yoga pose that belongs to the forward bends and hip openers categories. This asana targets glutes & hip flexors, hamstrings and quadriceps, and also involves shoulders and spine muscles. Sleeping pigeon stimulates abdominal organs; opens hips and groins and also relieves stress and deep-seated negative emotions. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
Exercise illustration licensing: Our exercise and yoga pose illustrations (static and animated) are selectively available for licensing for commercial and non-commercial projects. Visit our exercise illustrations licensing page for detailed information and to submit in inquiry.
©
Our exercise illustrations represent original artwork registered with and protected by the U.S. Copyright Office. Unauthorized use violators will be prosecuted. More details.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
